Deciding to never guess is definitely likely to lead to banging your head against the brick wall that occasionally is the FAS method ("full analytical solution" as clm calls it).

I admit, in my absolute refusal to head down the TaE ("trial and error") path, sometimes I stare at the screen for waaaaaaaaaay too long looking for the logical next step I know to be there.

jaco

Posted on:Mon Aug 17, 2015 6:56 am

Posts: 11Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2015 9:14 pm

Re: Older users

firefly wrote:

Deciding to never guess is definitely likely to lead to banging your head against the brick wall that occasionally is the FAS method ("full analytical solution" as clm calls it).

I admit, in my absolute refusal to head down the TaE ("trial and error") path, sometimes I stare at the screen for waaaaaaaaaay too long looking for the logical next step I know to be there.

I like working through variations in my head. In my opinion it's how you solve all types of puzzles like this so I'm unsure how you could possibly avoid it whilst doing these types of puzzles. Harder puzzles = longer variations. You fail if you can't see the problem with all of the nonsolutions correctly.

I like working through variations in my head. In my opinion it's how you solve all types of puzzles like this so I'm unsure how you could possibly avoid it whilst doing these types of puzzles. Harder puzzles = longer variations. You fail if you can't see the problem with all of the nonsolutions correctly.

How True!

I do look at the possible variations in my head while looking at the screen and map out the consequences of each move but I can only track it so far and there in lies my problem because I usually end up choosing the wrong initial number.......and in some of the really difficult puzzles I really don't even know where to begin without guessing and so I just have to put it aside and accept that those points are lost.......very frustrating.......lately my time spent is getting way out of hand as I try to reach the 100,000 points and am going to have to cut back and just take a little longer

I joined this web site because I wanted to test my limits. Over the years I have not found many individual puzzles that I could not solve. The puzzles I did not solve were only because I ran out of time. I would like to see a special puzzle once a week that instead of testing my time limits, it would test my skill limits. Perhaps a 16 x 16 on the killer platform. Give us 30 days to solve it and if 50 players can solve it, make the next one harder. Keep making this puzzle harder so that only the top 50 can solve it.

Congratulations on reaching the 100,000 point milestone! As you are still waiting for more responses from 65+ age puzzlers: I am 69, and have been retired for six years (too bad I did not know about the calcudocu.org website until last December!). I guess it's a good thing that I am retired because I spend at least four hours a day on the puzzles. I try to solve slowly but methodically - every puzzle that is 7x7 or larger, I do with pencil & paper (& eraser!). I liked Firefly's comment about not wanting to take the trial & error route. I personally do not like puzzles that require trial & error - if I can't find the logic, I move on (time is precious!). Regards, wjm (Bill)